Floor Routines Send Lions to Birmingham with Confidence

By Gabrielle Richards, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - At the center of most gymnastics arenas and practice
facilities lies a blue, chalk dusted, white-tape-outlined, square area. In the
39-foot by 39-foot space, gymnasts combine tumbling, dance, and stunts, while
doing their best not to land, leap, or "stick it" out of bounds. For the Penn
State women's gymnastics team, this complex event secured its trip to the NCAA
Championships.

Gymnastics, a sport that was once dominated by men, didn't officially
become an Olympic sport until 1924. Women were not allowed to compete in
Olympic gymnastics until 1928, where they were allowed to compete in only one
event. Floor performance was one of the last rotations added to the Olympic
slate of gymnastics events; women weren't allowed to compete in floor routines
until 1948.

Floor performance is the primary event where gymnasts are given a canvas
for artistic expression, a canvas that coaches Jeff and Rachelle Thompson allow
their gymnast to paint themselves.

"When we came to Penn State, we decided to take a backseat to the
choreographing of floor routines," Rachelle said. "We allow our girls to have
the most input in this event."

The Nittany Lions' first regular season meet of the 2013-'14 season was at
Iowa State, where the team scored 48.600 on floor. Over the course of the next
few meets, Penn State was improving dramatically in their overall floor scores.

"We didn't expect floor to become our best event," Rachelle said. "This has
always been an event that is unpredictable at the start of the season. Last
year we were really weak on floor, but this year, we planned ahead and got the
girls ready to compete on floor early."

The coaching philosophies of the Thompsons are unique; their primary focus
is building a community within their team. At the beginning of each season they
break the team up into event-based teams - floor, bar, beam and vault.

"This system allows for the girls to help each other," Rachelle said. "The
floor team developed sooner than any other team. I would have never guessed in
October that floor would be our strongest event, but it is.

There wasn't a meet all season that the Nittany Lions didn't improve on
floor. Their consistency and improvement on floor shined in the Feb. 15 meet
against No.15 Illinois. Penn State, who was ranked No. 21 at the time, was not
favored to win this meet. But, heading into the final rotation of the
competition, the Nittany Lions were tied with the Illini. The Thompsons and
their gymnasts left Rec Hall that day with a "W" and their highest floor score
of the season, 49.375.

Their fate at the NCAA Regional Championships wasn't much different; their
qualification to the NCAA Championships rested on their ability to "stick" a
near perfect floor rotation. And they did.

"That was a roller coaster of emotions," Rachelle said. "As a coach, I refused
to look at the score board. I wanted to stay in the moment and I wanted the
girls to stay in the moment. I know floor is our best event, but anything could
happen."

The Nittany Lions finished their floor rotation with a score of 49.425 and
secured their slot at the NCAA Championships.

"I am excited to see how we match up to the other schools of floor," senior
Lindsay Musgrove said. "At this meet [NCAA Championships] we start off the
competition on floor. I am hoping that that will get us on a good roll."

The Penn State women's gymnastics team was "Birmingham Bound" Tuesday night,
where the team will begin competition on Friday. This is the first time since
2009 that the team earned a spot at the NCAA Championships.

"Our message all year has been 'Just be us,'" Rachelle said. "When we
didn't advance last year, we asked the girls to buy into our new system and
they committed to it. We tell them all the time to stay present and if we can
do that in Alabama, the Super Six is in our reach. What we have accomplished
this season has raised the bar for Penn State gymnastics. This is what we do at
Penn State."